The present invention relates generally to window curtains containing a Roman shade, using a functional Roller shade for automatic release/retract of the Roman shade.
Window curtains are made for functional usages of blocking sunlight, or creating privacy, and for decorative purpose of adding visual attractiveness to households. Depending on consumers' liking and preferences, quite a number of styles and variation of window curtains/shades are commercially available. Traditional fabric curtains, plastic or wood mini-blinds, Roman shades, vertical blinds, etc, are all the commonly seen choices.
A traditional Roman shade typically consists of a head rail or track system, a semi-automatic or manual cord lift mechanism that is used to actuate the spring-loaded release/retract device attached to the head rail, and several pleats, or folds, created at regular intervals along the vertical length of the shade. These cord-based systems presented a danger to children, though consumers continue to desire the decorative nature of a Roman shade.
By combining a roller shade with a Roman shade, the present invention is inherently free of cords and thus removes the danger associated with the cord. The control for the release and retraction of the Roman shade is accomplished by the Roller shade that is hidden behind, thus making the window curtain a safe device with the desired Roman shade decorative features.